Global Food Insecurity

Big Question: Food Insecurity is global – How can we address it in our own communities? 

Time Commitment: 55-60 minutes

Why this Matters: Given the benefits, privileges and comforts afforded to certain citizens of the so-called “first world,” many, if not most, are unaware of the various injustices affecting those within their own communities. Food insecurity, which is commonly associated with countries or populations far-far away, is an issue that is pervasive, often overlooked, and ubiquitous. This is particularly true today, in a post-pandemic world, where socio-economic differences have become even more acute than before—many have been forced to face the issues affecting those around them as they themselves grapple with having lost access to some of those aforementioned benefits, privileges and comforts. By the end of this page, you will have a working knowledge of how food insecurity affects our world and examples of structures that exist to help people suffering from food insecurity.  

Diving In, Part 1: What is Food Insecurity?

Before we provide a working definition of Food Insecurity, let’s see what you know! 

Reflect & Write: On a blank sheet of paper, think about and list words that you associate with the expression “Food Insecurity.” Think big! It is a problem that affects the entire world.  

Watch: What is food insecurity? An explanation 

While this video would lead one to believe that Food Insecurity is a far-far away issue, plaguing rural areas or the global south, and this assessment is correct, we may not consider the way that it permeates all corners of the earth and affects all kinds of people. The truth is, Food Insecurity is caused by a number of factors and measured by diverse metrics. For example, urban populations and those in the countries like the US or Italy don't suffer chronic hunger as often as those in rural, agricultural societies, but may instead suffer from malnourishment of high density/low nutrient foods. 

Food Security, which is the opposite of Food Insecurity, is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as “when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”  

Food insecurity then, stems from a variety of intertwined economic, social, physical, and environmental shortcomings that prevent people from living full healthy lives, as they are unable to achieve their nutritional needs. The graphic below, created by the FAO, illustrates the different levels of food insecurity based on the food insecurity experience scale (FIES) (right-click and open in new tab to see a bigger version). 

Reflect: Having read this definition of Food Insecurity as well as watched the video above, write down some ideas that you associate with the causes of food insecurity. To help answer the why, think also about the who, what, when and where of the problem.  

If you wrote any words relating to poverty, lower income, climate instability/extreme climate/natural disasters, or security conflicts, you would be on the right track to answering the question of what causes “Food Insecurity.” Indeed, research by the FAO tracked that the places with the highest levels of “Food Insecurity” have lower overall GDP and experience many – if not all – the other “symptoms” of this problem.  

However, the existence of soup kitchens, food pantries, and food stamp or voucher programs in higher-income countries such as the United States, Italy, and other European countries is a testament to the ways that multi-layered, multi-variable issues have no borders. As long as marginalization and inequality exist in any context, wicked problems such as Food Insecurity will persist.  

Entrepreneur and social change agent Jasmine Crowe briefly explores some of the intersections of food insecurity in the US in her video below: 

Watch & Reflect: Before moving on to the next section, watch this 17-minute video to gain a deeper understanding of the causes and reality of food insecurity: Food Insecurity is a Public Health Concern | Rayna Andrews | TEDxUWMilwaukee. What strikes you the most from this talk?  

Diving in, Part 2: The Global Impact of Food Insecurity

What does Food Insecurity and hunger look like across the world? What international organizations exist to fight hunger? What is happening on a national and a local level? 

Click here to see a larger version of this graphic. 

Large global organizations like the WFP (World Food Programme) and the aforementioned FAO of the United Nations provide support in the areas of the world hardest hit by Food Insecurity. Generally, lower to lower-middle income countries and countries experiencing war or in a post-war state are the ones that depend on the support of these two large organizations. Each country/area of reference has statistics on its respective level of food insecurity. Click the link here for the FAO statistics site. 

The above graphic illustrates the degree to which Severe or Moderate Food Insecurity is present across the globe, based on a scale standardized by the FAO called the FIES (Food Insecurity Experience Scale). The scale functions by asking a smattering of questions about an individual’s ability to buy food, what kind of food they could buy, if they could not buy food, etc. Based on these questions, the percentage for each rating of insecurity is given and used to help counter the effects. Severe Food Insecurity is defined as running out of food or going a day or more without food while Moderate Food Insecurity means that someone is uncertain about where their next meal will come from or when it could be. 

According to the FAO, as of 2022 there are between 691 and 783 million hungry people in the world, which is approximately 10% of the world’s population. The chart below shows the uptick which has been attributed to the pandemic as well as conflicts that have resulted in a halted humanitarian ability to disperse foodstuffs.  

Italy had a three-year (2018-2020) average of 6.7 % of the population suffering from moderate to severe food insecurity. According to the USDA, in 2020, 10.5% of American households suffered from food insecurity some time throughout the year or had very low food security.  

In the United States, organizations like Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, No Kid Hungry, City Harvest, and Bread for the World help fight hunger. Food security and subsequent policy support is generally determined by the United States Food And Drug Administration (USDA)'s assessment for household food security. This index can help determine which individuals and communities need subsidized support because they are living in a food desert or have challenges leading to high poverty and low nutrition. For example, the USDA will provide funding to community/charitable organizations, such as food pantries, when they can demonstrate that they are addressing food and nutrition needs in a low income community.  

Food distribution, or how food gets to the plates of people in need, can be broken into a few categories: soup kitchens, food banks/pantries, and food stamp or voucher programs. Soup kitchens serve hot meals to guests, using food from food banks. Food banks collect and store large donations of food, which come from local businesses, food drives, and the government. Food banks then distribute these products to food pantries, which are smaller sites that give boxes of food to those who need it. The recipients of food from food pantries typically have regular shelter and access to an area to prepare food, whereas guests at soup kitchens are less likely to have homes where they can prepare food. Finally, programs such as supplemental nutrition assistance programs (SNAP) in the US serve low-income families by giving them  monthly electronic benefits that can be used to buy most foods at many markets and food stores. There are also special programs aimed at safeguarding the health of low-income women, infants, and children (WIC) up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk because years of research have shown that nutrition in the first five years can help to combat life-long health problems better than any other time in our lifespan. 

Many people do not consider how hunger might affect their area, especially if the obvious signs of the fight against hunger (food banks, soup kitchens, outreach volunteers for organizations that combat-hunger) are absent. So, how can you help combat hunger in your local community? The first step is to educate yourself about how hunger affects your area. Volunteering at soup kitchens, food banks, and food pantries, donating money to organizations that provide relief for food insecurity, and participating in food drives are just some of the ways to help.  

Read & Reflect: Read this article on 9 Ways to Help People Facing Hunger in Your Community, and do an internet search to see what local organizations are fighting hunger near you. Search the name of your town, plus keywords like “hunger relief,” “soup kitchens,” “food banks,” and “hunger.”  What local organizations around you are actively fighting Food Insecurity? 

Page Completion - Outcomes:  

Now that you have completed this page and the readings, videos, and activities within it, you should have strengthened your understanding of:   

• The scale and causes of global food insecurity and how it affects local communities. 

• Why food insecurity might be present in your local community and how you can get involved

Citation for this page: Marks, J., Ritter, M., Grazioli, B. & Sandiford, N. (2023). Global Food Insecurity In E. Hartman, S. Brandauer and N. Sandiford (Eds.). Interdependence: Global Solidarity and Local Actions. The Community-based Global Learning Collaborative. Retrieved from:

Citations: 

FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018. Building climate resilience for food security and nutrition.” 2018 , Rome, FAO. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO

“Food Bank vs. Food Pantry.” Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania, nwpafoodbank.org/get-educated/food-bank-vs-food-pantry/

“Food Security and Why It Matters.” Australian International Food Security Centre, 22 Dec. 2014, aifsc.aciar.gov.au/food-security-and-why-it-matters.html

“Goal 2: Zero Hunger - United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/.

Pritscher, Jamie. “12 Organizations Helping to Win The Fight against Hunger in America.” That’s Caring, 3 July 2020, thatscaring.com/blogs/the-cause/14770297-12-organizations-helping-to-win-the-fight-against-hunger-in-america.

“Regional Food Bank - Frequently Asked Questions.” Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, 10 Dec. 2021, regionalfoodbank.net/frequently-asked-questions/#:~:text=A%20food%20pantry%20provides%20food,day%20for%20many%20of%20them.

Smith, Michael D, and Birgit Meade. “Who Are the World’s Food Insecure? Identifying the Risk Factors of Food Insecurity around the World.” USDA ERS, www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2019/june/who-are-the-world-s-food-insecure-identifying-the-risk-factors-of-food-insecurity-around-the-world/. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.